


The Gift

by katbear



Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Action/Adventure, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-21
Updated: 2009-01-21
Packaged: 2017-10-21 17:51:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/227940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katbear/pseuds/katbear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance encounter leaves our Jedi with something unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Author: KatBear (katbear@cox.net)  
> Archive: MA, AO3  
> Category: adventure  
> Rating: PG  
> Pairing: Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi  
> Feedback: Appreciated.  
> Thanks: To the beta reader who made this a better story (Merry Amelie). All mistakes are my own. Thanks also to Tickles Ivory for the request for a story to illustrate that hatched the plot bunny.  
> Summary: A chance encounter leaves our Jedi with something unexpected.  
> Warnings: PG is for a bit of violence.  
> Spoilers: None.  
> Disclaimer: All hail the Great Lucas, who owns all things Star Wars. I'm just taking the boys for a spin, no profit intended.

"I thought now was supposed to be a season of peace and love on this planet," grumbled Obi-Wan as they hunkered down behind a broken stone wall.

A stray blaster shot lit the fading dusk.

"It would appear the traditions of truce and family gatherings during winter solstice seem to have lost favor during the current civil war here, Padawan," replied Qui-Gon dryly.

"Brilliant observation, Master." Obi-Wan carefully peered over the top of their protective cover. "There seems little point in continuing our search here now. Shall we try to make it back to the spaceport by the capitol?"

"I have to agree. We have found nothing and there is clearly no support from the government or the rebels for our mission." Qui-Gon drew his cloak a little tighter against the rapidly dropping temperature. "It will be full dark shortly; we'll leave then and head cross country on foot. If we don't run into any more problems, we should be able to make it to our ship by tomorrow afternoon."

The two Jedi had been assigned to search for Force-aware babies in this rarely visited sector after a knight passing through had reported encountering several Force indications. After stopping on four planets with no success, they had arrived on Blaav to find the planet was in the midst of a bitter internal strife among the humanoid inhabitants. They had been foisted off on to the Foreign Minister; the woman had heard enough about the Jedi not to want to antagonize them, but it was obvious they were not welcome. She gave them ten days to look around, made it very clear she was not in any way responsible for their safety, and sent them packing. After six fruitless and frustrating days of hostile or indifferent receptions in various towns, the master and apprentice had spent the better part of the last two days dodging a full-blown battle which appeared to be finally winding down.

Obi-Wan looked up as Qui-Gon nudged him, nodded, then rose to follow his master through a light snowfall. They cautiously skulked along narrow side streets until they passed beyond the last buildings. For three hours they walked along secondary roads, moving off when vehicles passed and sometimes blending in with groups of refugees, their hooded cloaks lending them a welcome anonymity. The snow had briefly intensified, muffling the occasional sounds of explosions, but had finally stopped at twenty-third hour after dropping several inches of fluffy whiteness.

"Padawan," murmured Qui-Gon as the pair caught up to a small draggle of travelers. "We don't want to get caught in the road blocks in this next sector. We'll need to leave the road and head due west."

"Yes, Master." The apprentice stopped next to Qui-Gon to let the group move out of sight. They stood silently in the dirty snow which had been churned into the icy mud by tracked vehicles.

"Maman, I'm hungry," whined a small boy. "When is Mother Shara going to come and bring us presents and food?"

"I don't know, son," said the woman in a ragged shawl who held the child's hand. "We'll find food soon."

"Why don't you tell him the truth?" snarled a man in muddy coveralls. "Ain't gonna be no Mother Shara, no, and no Father Seo either. Not this year."

"Jod, things will get better. You just need to have faith."

"Ha! Faith ain't gonna feed us and it didn't keep those damned soldiers from burning everything we had." The man angrily stamped to the front of the group as they approached a sharp corner.

"Maman? Is it true?" came a frightened whisper.

"Hush, Norry, they'll come." The woman pulled the boy into her arms. "You need to believe, and they will answer our prayers."

Obi-Wan bowed his head as they waited. He had felt the pang across their bond, the echo of his master's pain from the small exchange. He touched Qui-Gon's sleeve as they turned to leave.

"You can't save them all, Master," said the apprentice quietly. "Sometimes you just have to let them go and move on."

"I know, but that doesn't make it any easier." Qui-Gon glanced back at the now-empty road and sighed. "We'll make for that ridgeline and rest there for a few hours."

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan fell into step as they headed into the forest.

A brisk wind followed them on their journey and sent the storm clouds skipping and racing. By the time they crossed a small stream and began looking for a spot to stop, the sky was a deep, clear black. The moon was rising, lending them a pale light, and the stars glittered sharply.

"This looks like a good place, Master." Obi-Wan gestured around the small clearing. "Most of the snow didn't make it this far west so we won't need to worry about finding a dry area."

Qui-Gon's reply was forestalled by an explosion and several blaster shots in the distance. He started, then stood still with one hand to his head.

"Padawan!" Qui-Gon's eyes were shut, a look of intense concentration on his face. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what, Master?"

"There! In the Force!" Qui-Gon pointed. "There's a Force-sentient being nearby and it is troubled."

Obi-Wan stilled his mind, seeking the Force. He felt a small stirring, then a sharp spike of orange-red energy that quickly petered out.

"I felt that one, Master."

Another small explosion sent the Jedi racing toward the screams that briefly rang out in the darkness. They slowed as they reached the source, their lightsabers out but off. Blasted tree trunks still smoked in the moonlight and a few groans guttered into silence as they walked into the clearing.

"Looks like five soldiers over here, Master," called Obi-Wan. "They're all dead; four have severe blaster wounds and one appears to have been knifed." He straightened from his perusal.

"I believe this is the knife wielder," replied Qui-Gon from where he knelt next to a sprawled figure. "He's still alive but not for much longer, I suspect."

Obi-Wan hurried over and leaned forward, hands on his knees. The figure turned out to be a young man; he was bleeding freely from several wounds and his left arm was nearly severed at the elbow.

"I think you're correct, Master." The apprentice concentrated for a moment before continuing doubtfully. "I don't think he's the source of what we felt in the Force. I detect nothing at all from him."

"No, there's definitely someone else." Qui-Gon shook his head. "The Force is telling me to look further up the hill."

Their voices must have stirred the wounded man's last consciousness. He gasped and reached blindly for Qui-Gon's arm. "Help her," he whispered. "Save her, for Mother Shara's sake."

"Save who?" asked the master. "Where is she?"

A gurgling moan was the only reply as the man slipped away into death.

A blaster shot cutting into a tree next to Obi-Wan signaled the arrival of another squad of soldiers. The next five minutes turned into an intense exercise of the Jedis' well-practiced combat skills; they split apart and circled around among the trees, picking off the troopers by ones and twos. The only warning of imminent demise was the sudden blaze and hum of a lightsaber as they went about their grim task. In the ensuing silence, the Jedi completed one last circuit of the clearing, checking bodies.

"That's all of them, Master." Obi-Wan kept a wary eye out in the direction the soldiers had come from.

"I doubt if they had time to send a signal, but there may be more patrols out," replied Qui-Gon. "We need to find the woman before they do."

Obi-Wan followed his master as they set off at a fast jog through the trees. It was not hard to find the traces of the woman's flight so they paused occasionally to erase the marks of her passage, traces reinforced by the vague unshaped pain in the Force that drew them onward. Twice they found blood, as if someone had stopped to lean against a tree; Qui-Gon increased their pace almost to a run.

They burst from a dense patch of woods into a pool of moonlight reflecting off a rocky hillside. Huddled at the base of a large overhang was a dark shape. Qui-Gon hurried forward while Obi-Wan took up watch along their backward path.

"Obi-Wan, come over here," called Qui-Gon a few minutes later.

After a last look through the trees, Obi-Wan walked over to where Qui-Gon knelt. A small pack had been tossed aside; a heavy cloak opened to reveal an exceedingly pregnant young woman. Qui-Gon placed a hand on the swollen belly and murmured soothingly. The two Jedi looked at each other as the woman moaned in pain.

"Can you determine the extent of her injuries, Master?" asked Obi-Wan.

"She has a broken arm, blaster burns, severe cuts and internal damage," said Qui-Gon. He furrowed his brow as he continued to softly massage the woman's middle. "And I think she is going into labor."

"Oh." Obi-Wan stared down at the pale face as he tried to remember if they had ever covered this in his emergency medicine classes. "She doesn't look good, Master."

"No, she's very weak, probably from blood loss." Qui-Gon stopped, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Obi-Wan."

"Yes, Master?"

"The Force call is from the baby, not the mother," said Qui-Gon softly, his voice almost too low to hear. "It's very strong, but confused. It doesn't understand what is happening."

"Ah, well, that could complicate things a bit."

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow, but his reply was cut short by a cry of pain as the woman stirred.

"Who... who are you?" she asked, her voice a weak murmur.

"We are Jedi. I am Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and this is my padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. We only want to help you." Qui-Gon put a hand on her brow. "Can you tell us who you are and what has happened to you?"

"My name is Lalana... we were trying to get away from the soldiers who burned our farm." She closed her eyes in pain, then suddenly tried to sit up, grabbing Qui-Gon's arm. "Kevo... where is Kevo? He is my husband, he wouldn't leave me alone..."

"I'm sorry, but I think he is dead," said Qui-Gon gently as he held her in his arms. "He died to save you."

"No." Lalana cried as Qui-Gon rocked her in his arms.

"Padawan, see if there is anything in her pack to hold water," said Qui-Gon. "There was a spring not too far back. We need to get water and then start a fire so we can boil the water and also keep her warm."

"I'll take care of it, Master."

Happy to have a useful task, Obi-Wan spilled open the pack to examine its contents. He found a large water carrier and two small nested pots; he grabbed them and hurried away. After he returned he built a fire, set water on to warm and went back out to get more firewood.

"How is she doing, Master?" Obi-Wan asked after he set his garnerings near the fire pit he had built.

"Not well, I'm afraid. She's slipping in and out of consciousness, but her contractions are coming more often." Qui-Gon had removed Lalana's lower garments to prepare for the delivery; at the moment she was covered by her cloak as the master sat by her side. "I've treated her wounds as best I could, but the injuries are extensive and her system is stressed with the pregnancy."

"And the baby?" Obi-Wan knelt next to the torpid figure and tentatively rested a hand on her stomach; he could feel the unfocused perturbations swirling in the Force. "What will happen to it if she dies now?"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "I don't know. We'll have to see how things develop."

They waited patiently over the next hour. They ate sparingly of their trail rations, heated more water and found an extra shirt in the pack which they tore up for rags. Periodically Obi-Wan would fetch more firewood or scout around to ensure there were no patrols in the area.

As the apprentice returned from a security round, he saw that Lalana was awake. She was clutching Qui-Gon's hand as her body shuddered with a heavy contraction.

"Padawan, please moisten one of the cloths with warm water."

Obi-Wan brought the wet rag, then sat down cross-legged to watch as Qui-Gon wiped Lalana's face.

"Master Jinn," said Lalana as she rested, "I have heard of the Jedi... that they are good people." There was a question mark in her voice.

"We try to be," replied Qui-Gon with a smile. "Although it doesn't seem that very many others on this planet share that view."

"I had a cousin who spent several years on Coruscant. He used to tell us stories about it. Is that your home?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan and I live at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when we are not on missions to help others."

"Ahh, I see."

There was a long silence.

"This is supposed to be a special time of the year, a time of the old year ending and new beginnings," Lalana finally continued. "I thought that Kevo and I had been blessed by the Mother and Father when we found out that our baby would be due during the holy week, but this war... everything has turned out wrong."

"I'm sure that you will find the child to be the blessing you hoped for," said Qui-Gon soothingly.

Lalana moaned and squeezed the Jedi's hand. "It's coming," she whispered, then moaned again.

Qui-Gon pulled aside Lalana's cloak and found that her water had burst. He knelt between her legs to check for bleeding.

"Obi-Wan, bring the rest of the hot water and cloths, then I need you to hold her."

"Yes, Master."

The next two hours were a struggle for life. Obi-Wan held Lalana's hands and wiped her face. The young woman would try to push, eventually biting through her lip from the pain. Qui-Gon stayed between her legs, massaging her belly, encouraging her, keeping her clean and wiping away the blood that slowly increased. Obi-Wan could feel the peripheral rush of healing energy that Qui-Gon was expending to try to stop the worst of the pain and bleeding; they could both feel the increasingly urgent and fearful clamor in the Force from the baby.

The moon crept past overhead and was riding low in the sky when Lalana sagged in defeat, her strength spent. Obi-Wan looked at his master but Qui-Gon slowly shook his head.

"Master Jedi," said Lalana faintly. "I'm dying, aren't I?"

"I will not lie to you," said Qui-Gon as he looked in her eyes. "I've done all that I can, but you've lost too much blood. I can't save you."

There was a silence broken only by the young woman's hoarse breathing and the crackling of the fire.

"My baby... he is special... I have felt it." Lalana stopped, swallowed. "Your presence here is Mother Shara's gift to me... and the baby shall be your gift from her."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked. He winced as she squeezed his hand hard.

"You said the Jedi are good people," she panted. "Save my baby... let me go to the Mother knowing that he will be loved."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan looked at each other. "How can we do that, Master?" asked Obi-Wan, trying to keep his voice low.

"Promise me!" cried Lalana. "Cut it from my body if you must... " Her voice cracked, now barely audible. "Honor the Mother... promise me."

"You have my word, Lalana." Qui-Gon's expression was pained but his voice determined. "I will do my best to save your child and he will have a home with the Jedi."

"But, Master - "

"It is the will of the Force, Padawan. This has to be why we were brought to this place and time."

Obi-Wan swallowed hard at the thought of what would need to happen next, but he nodded his acceptance obediently. He turned his attention back to his charge.

"Thank you, Master Jedi," whispered Lalana. A gentle smile graced her lips and the pain vanished from her face. "May the Mother bless and keep you."

"She's gone, Master." Obi-Wan placed the limp hand on her still breast. "What can I do to help?"

"Get the rest of the clean water and the spare blanket, then I need you to hold her upper body," said Qui-Gon. "We will have to move quickly."

The preparations were completed swiftly. Obi-Wan grabbed the dead woman's shoulders and braced himself, then watched intently as Qui-Gon adjusted his lightsaber to its lowest setting.

The master Jedi knelt between the lifeless legs. He rolled up the sleeves of his tunics, put one hand on the swollen belly and closed his eyes for a moment to center himself in the Force. Qui-Gon opened his eyes, looked briefly at his apprentice, then took a deep breath and began his grim task.

The whole thing must have taken less than a minute, but to Obi-Wan it seemed to take ages. He felt the skin cooling under his hands, the sizzle and stench of the lightsaber slicing through flesh filled his ears and nose, and the bright red blood that trailed across the white skin was vividly etched into his memories. He focused on his master, moving to the commands to shift his grip, holding back the flap of skin being sliced out, and then finally shoving aside organs to allow Qui-Gon final access to the womb.

Obi-Wan blinked when he was finally able to let go and sit back on his heels. He held his breath as he watched Qui-Gon pull a still mass of bloody flesh from the gaping wound.

"Padawan, bring the water and cloths." Qui-Gon had to sharply repeat himself. "Padawan! Now!"

"Yes, Master, sorry." Obi-Wan shook himself and hurried to obey.

The next few seconds passed in a blur as Qui-Gon raced to clean away the membrane from the infant's mouth and nose, then breathed into the opening. Once, twice, thrice... a brief pause, then again he breathed gently in. Qui-Gon stopped to listen, then gave a huge sigh of relief as a cry rang out.

"He's alive, Padawan." The Jedi smiled at each other, then both gazed down at the tiny fists waving in the air.

"It truly must be a gift, Master," said Obi-Wan as he carefully touched the wrinkled face.

"Indeed. Let's get things finished."

Qui-Gon checked the infant for injuries, then finished cleaning him and swathed him warmly in the blanket.

Obi-Wan closed the wounds in Lalana's body and wrapped her in her cloak. He washed off the blood and dirt from his hands, cleaned up the rest of the area, then stoked the fire one last time. He had to stop and smile as he finished his work and turned to speak to his master.

"Shhh, he's asleep," said Qui-Gon softly. He was sitting against the hillside under the overhang, wrapped in his cloak with the baby in his arms. "Come join me, Padawan. We'll rest a bit, then bury Lalana before we return to the ship." He opened his cloak in invitation.

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan sat and leaned into his master's side as Qui-Gon draped his cloak around all of them against the chill biting the clear air.

Obi-Wan watched the fire for a few moments before speaking. "That was a wonderful thing you did tonight, Master," he whispered. "I'm not sure I would have dared to even try it."

"You are a good Jedi, my Padawan," Qui-Gon whispered back. "The Force will give you strength to do what is right, just as it did for me." There was a gentle smile in his voice as he continued, "And perhaps we had a little help from Mother Shara in giving us this precious offering."

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan as exhaustion caught up with him and he drifted off.

In the dark velvet sky above, one star shone down on the sleeping Jedi more brightly than the rest, guarding them through the night.

finis


End file.
